Baking soda
Baking soda is a cooking or baking ingredient as well as a relatively safe and nontoxic cleaner. Leavening The reaction of baking soda with other ingredients provides leavening for some baked goods. Only small amounts are needed. Most recipes recommend that you combine the baking soda (and baking powder or salt when used) in with the other dry ingredients (such as flour or sugar) before mixing in with other ingredients. This way the baking soda is more evenly distributed. If you mix it with liquids first, it may clump. You can use baking soda and cream of tartar to substitute for baking powder. Other leavening agents include salt, baking powder or yeast. Odor absorption It absorbs odors. Leave an open box in the refrigerator. Volcano amusement To create a home volcano, pour some vinegar into a pile of baking soda. Use food dye to make the pile of baking soda brown and/or red vinegar to improve the effect. This mild chemical reaction can also clear minor pipe clogs or prevent them. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain (It can be the old baking soda you used to absorb odors.) Follow with a cup of vinegar. When it stops bubbling, follow with hot water. Household cleaning Baking soda can also help to clean greases, dirt and sweat from clothes. A way to simply do this is to mix baking soda with water, then apply to the needed areas and rinse away with warm water. This should be done until the stain should not be visible. For tougher stains such as mould on flooring, walls and ceilings, it would help to mix baking soda with vinegar: *mix one cup of baking soda and vinegar together into a bowl *stir to make it a thicker consistency *take a toothbrush and slather on the areas *leave for a good 15 minutes *rinse away the residue of mold and dirt left behind *repeat if necessary Baking soda toothpaste Baking soda has become a popular ingredient in commercial toothpastes, but it has a long history of being used to clean teeth. The simplest method is to shake a small amount of baking soda directly onto your toothbrush, dampen and brush. It's a bit salty and the taste may take a bit to get used to, especially if you're accustomed to commercial, sweetened toothpastes. Baking Soda Home Remedies As with other health advice from the web, please use the following suggestions with caution. For serious illnesses or symptoms, talk to a licensed medical professional. For mild conditions, you may still want to consult first. In some cases, home remedies are the easiest, cheapest, and even safest remedies, but they should be used with caution. Baking Soda for Acne Acne is caused the blockage of skin pores due to the accumulation of bacteria, oil and dead skin. Baking soda is quite effective when dealing with the trio. The first way this is done is through its quick drying aspect, this means that it absorbs all the liquid and moisture around it and subsequently dries it up within itself. In this way, it is able to rid the skin of the excess oil collected within. Baking soda is known to have antibacterial properties and as such destroys the bacteria in the skin that lead to the formation of acne. The fact that it is absorbent makes it good for exfoliation and as such it takes away all the debris on the skin as it dries up. Washing off the treatment leaves the skin clean healthy and smooth. The best way to use baking soda as a treatment for acne is to make a face mask out of it. This can simply be done by putting an adequate amount of baking soda in a bowl. Then slowly add water while you stir till a thick paste is formed. Other than water, the paste can be made with tea tree oil, natural honey, lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide. Once the solution has been made, test its safety on the back of the palm of your hand to ensure that it does not cause any damage. Then apply the solution on the face massaging the skin slowly during the process. Leave the mask on the skin for about thirty minutes then slowly wash it off with warm water. Rinse you face again with cold water ensuring that all the mask has been removed. For the best results when using any baking soda treatment, expospcsing the face for about five minutes to steam is highly advised. This ensures that the skin pores are exposed and the solution can penetrate into the skin to actively destroy the bacteria within and remove the excess fat too. Baking Soda for Warts and Genital Warts Baking soda is quite the powerful skin exfoliating agent and this is what makes it the best option when it comes to the removal of warts from various parts of the body. The baking soda dries up quickly, taking into its composition any loose material around it. This means that dead skin cells, bacteria, and oil are all collected in the process. Essentially, baking soda eats warts by destroying the skin tissue that makes it up. The result is that with time, warts reduce in size and successively disappear. It also has antibacterial properties that help it cause damage to the virus that causes the development of warts hindering it from replication within the skin cells. Baking soda can be used to get rid of warts by simply creating a paste of the baking soda and water then applying it on the affected areas. Once the application is done, the area should be covered with a bandage or medical gauze and the solution left there overnight. In the morning. Carefully peel away the bandage then wash off the solution with warm water. Let the skin dry. This should be repeated daily until the warts are completely gone. Another good solution would be to use tea tree oil or castor oil in the place of water. Baking Soda for Razor Bumps Inflammation is the one thing that makes razor bumps quite unbearable. This is made worse by the itching feeling that generally accompanies them. Baking soda is one of the ways you can use to soothe the skin and reduce the itching. It is also quite effective when it comes to relaxing the skin and ridding it of the inflammation or redness. Both of these irritations are brought about by the fact that the skin and the hair follicles are broken irregularly due to the improper use of a razor or the use of a poor quality shaving razor. The baking covers the irritated part and dries up to a firm state essentially working as a cast for the broken skin and helping it repair faster. The baking soda home remedy for razor bumps is rather simple. Add some baking soda into a bowl then add little amounts of water while you stir till a thick paste is formed. Gently apply this paste on the areas affected by the razor bumps then let it stay for about five minutes or till it dries to a crisp firmness. Gently wash off the baking soda with cold water then pat the skin dry with a towel. Honey can also be used in the place of water in the cases where the irritation is extreme. Never leave the baking soda solution too long on the skin as this can cause drying up and eventual cracking of the skin. Since it also alters the pH balance of the skin, it should not be used too regularly as this can cause an imbalance and promote the development of other conditions like acne. Baking Soda for Cold sores The simple fact that there is no known cure for cold sores does not have to restrict you to a state where you persevere through the pain and discomfort that comes with them. The cold sores usually come and go to their own convenience but with baking soda, you can continue your life normally without them bothering you. The one thing that you are always advised to avoid is picking at the sores. This is bad in two ways as destroying them causes more pain and damage and sometimes aggravates them to develop faster. It also causes the spread of the viruses to other body parts and people since they will hibernate beneath the fingernails. An excess collection of the viruses on the skins what causes the constant feeling of irritation. Baking soda is a good disinfectant and once applied on the skin, get to works killing off these viruses and preventing them from reproducing at a fast rate. This slows down the growth and replication of the cold sores. It is also a very powerful exfoliant and is known to break off loose skin in an instant. Application of baking soda on the sores means that it is chipped away at slowly by slowly reducing its size with each consecutive treatment and eventually removing it completely from the skin. Both these actions lead to the soothing of the skin and the eradication of the inflammation and itchiness that brings about discomfort. Baking soda remedy for cold sores is rather simple to make. Add some baking soda into a bowl then add water while you stir till a thick gelatinous paste is forms. Using a cotton ball, apply the paste on the cold sores and leave it there for about 10 minutes. Gently rinse off the baking soda solution taking care not to puncture the cold sore. You can also use lemon juice in the place of water. Application with the hand is not prescribed as you may transfer the germs from one sore to another. Baking Soda for Dark underarms The condition of dark underarms is brought about by the collection of dead skin cells and oil on the skin. This is one area where the use of baking soda proves quite effective. Skin cells usually die at a very fast rate in areas where friction is high, this is made worse by the fact that the underarm is usually enclosed. As the cells die, they simply collect on the skin as they have no immediate outlet. This collection then becomes visible as dark spots. Baking soda is good in exfoliating skin and scrubs off the dead cells, skin debris, and excess oil upon application on the skin. It dries up with the loose dead skin cells and removes them when it is being washed off. Using baking soda to clear dark undermans is quite simple. Add some baking soda in a bowl then gently add water while you stir to develop a paste. Apply the paste on the underarm and let it stay for about thirty minutes. Wash it off completely with some cool water and pat the underarms dry with a clean towel. You can also use some lemon juice instead of water in the preparation of the remedy. This is because lemon juice is quite famous for its skin whitening and cleansing capabilities and this combination makes the remedy thrice as effective when it comes to the removal of dark underarms. Baking Soda for Sunburn Sunburns are usually made worse by the accumulation of heat on the skin creating a sense of great discomfort. This heat also makes the skin tender and the never ripe hence the feeling of pain when it is touched or pressed. There is also usually a lot of redness, inflammation, and general skin irritation. Baking soda becomes quite an effective remedy thanks to two things, the fact that it dries up quickly, and the fact that it soothes the skin. Application of baking soda provides the skin with an agent that can absorb the exes heat accumulated in a faster manner. The baking soda also helps the tense skin relax reducing the feeling of discomfort and the inflammation To get the most out of this remedy, ensure that you are using very cold water. Put some baking soda in a bowl add some cold water and stir till you get a consistent paste, apply the paste on the affected areas of the skin and let it stay for about 20-40 minutes. Wash this off with some cold water or simply soak in a bathtub of cold water and let it slowly peel off. Leave the skin to dry on its own as this will also help the recovery process. Related * vinegar * plumbing * salt * baking powder * clog * toothpaste * hydrogen peroxide Category:baking Category:Cleaning Category:Cooking Category:Home remedies